


October Temporarily

by tyranstuff123



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Halloween, Haunted House, M/M, October, Supposed to be mostly funny though, bunch of short shots, gyuhao friendship, slight angst???, soonhoon is kind of a side thing, spooky season
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-20
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2020-12-31 06:47:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 10,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21103631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tyranstuff123/pseuds/tyranstuff123
Summary: "You want to stay at the Jeon place? The Jeon Manor?"Mingyu looks back, confused. "Uh, yeah?""That place is like, notoriously haunted!"Mingyu has a grin on his face. "Are you scared?""You just think Wonwoo is cute." Minghao scowls, crossing his arms.





	1. Hallway Boxes

"I can't believe they kicked us out of our dorm." Mingyu pouts, stepping aside with the big box in his arms and ducking a fake cobweb to allow Minghao to pass. The box is just one of many that are currently sitting outside the hallway of their ex-dorm-room. 

"Well, you did set off the fire alarm."

Mingyu looks over at Minghao, craning his neck around the box labeled "fragile" he's currently carrying. "Accidents happen."

"Five times in less than a semester?"

Mingyu rolls his eyes. He couldn't have set off the fire alarm _ that _many times.

"What are you guys doing?" The deep voice startles Mingyu, and he accidentally drops the large box he's holding. The box falls upside down so that it's contents are trapped between it and the ground.

Minghao sighs. "This is why we can't have nice things." And goes to lift up the box. 

Mingyu doesn't have time to say _ no! Not in front of my cru- _ before the contents of the box are spilling out and the stuffed animals are all scattered on the floor.

"What the fuck." Minghao mutters. 

The owner of the deep voice lifts an inquisitive brow at the sight.

Mingyu clears his throat, stepping in front of the mess of plushies, mentally apologizing to his beloved fabric and cotton children. "Hi Won!"

"Don't call me that."

"What are you up to?" Mingyu responds, ignoring that first part.

"I feel like I should be asking you that." Wonwoo responds coolly. Not in a stuck up way, but it's just that everything Jeon Wonwoo says is cool. He looks especially cool at this time of year, in a large black coat that covers his fingers because it's fall, and fall is cold, but still manages to make him look intimidating. Wonwoo's outfits always give off low key intimidating vibes, but at this time of year, it's been amplified to spooky.

Mingyu spins around to make eye contact with Minghao, but while _ he's _ trying to telepathically convey _ What do I respond? _ , Minghao has a mirthful glimmer in his eyes that says, _ Wonwoo? As in the Wonwoo you talk about all the time and "oh my gosh he's so cool"-Wonwoo? _

Physically, Minghao responds by shrugging.

"We, um, kind of got kicked out." Mingyu replies meekly, not sure how anyone's supposed to react to that.

"How?"

Maybe Mingyu should start anticipating questions like these, because making up a believable lie on the spot is pretty challenging. "Uhhh…" 

"He set off the fire alarm making pancakes last week." Minghao replies, _ uninvitedly _.

Wonwoo frowns. "That isn't-"

"And then once before that, when he left his homework in the oven and it was on."

"Well-"

"And then once last month when he was lighting a candle for the anniversary of the day he first set off the fire alarm." Minghao finishes. Well he doesn't really _ finish _, but Mingyu doesn't let him continue.

In hindsight, Mingyu knows he probably deserves it, because his stupidity had kind of left Minghao homeless too, but _ still _.

Wonwoo gives Mingyu an amazed look. "Wow you really _ are _ an idiot."

_ Ouch, that hurts _. Especially from someone like Wonwoo, who was really cool and kind of hot too and Mingyu probably really screwed up his chances… 

There must be a pout on his face, because Wonwoo's face softens just a fraction, and he clears his throat and says, "Hey, if you need somewhere to crash, you can always stay at my place."

Minghao's head snaps up and he stops his momentary task of placing the stuffed animals back into the box labeled "fragile". "The Jeon Manor?"

Wonwoo nods. "Yeah, I don't technically have any roommates, and it's a pretty big house too."

"You'd let us stay with you?" Mingyu asks, wide eyed.

Wonwoo looks uncomfortable, like he might take back the offer at any moment. He nods his head hesitantly. "I mean, yeah. As long as you don't set off the fire alarms, I guess."

"Oh my God, yes! Thank you thank you thank you!" Mingyu vibrates with excitement. _ Jeon Wonwoo _ invited him, and Minghao, to stay with him!

"Yeah, whatever. Bye Idiot." Wonwoo steps away to leave, and waves at Minghao. "Bye Minghao."

Minghao flashes a friendly smile and waves.

Once Wonwoo is out of earshot, Mingyu pouts and turns to Minghao. "Do you think he likes me?"

But Minghao has his rant face ready. "You want to stay at the Jeon place? _ The Jeon Manor _?"

Mingyu looks back, confused. "Uh, yeah?"

"That place is like, notoriously haunted!"

Mingyu has a grin on his face. "Are you scared?"

"Yes, because it's fucking _ haunted _!"

"You don't know that."

"You just think Wonwoo is cute." Minghao scowls, crossing his arms.

Mingyu just shrugs. "Maybe. _ And _ I don't want to live on the streets." Their back up plan had originally been to rent out a motel for the night, but that won't last forever.

"At least the streets won't have ghosts." Minghao mutters.

"But," Mingyu reasons, and this reason is _ really _good, "Wonwoo lives there."

"Yes, but Mingyu, what do you _ know _about him?" Mingyu opens his mouth but he doesn't get the chance to speak before Minghao interrupts. "Besides the fact that he's hot!"

"Are you implying that he's a ghost?"

"No, _ but _, just because Wonwoo lives there, doesn't mean freaky stuff doesn't happen."

"Well, he's kind of a freaky person." The words come out of Mingyu's mouth endearingly, and he's thinking about the times in class when Wonwoo is sitting at the back of the class, sweater over his fingers and face buried in a book.

Minghao throws his arms up. "But what if he _ is _?"

Mingyu pouts. "Come on, please? Just temporarily?" 

Minghao's expression twists in the way it does when he knows he's about to lose an argument. "Temporarily? Like October temporarily? The spookiest month of the year temporarily?"

Mingyu has a hopeful expression on his face, and he throws in the shining eyes and tentative smile.

Minghao just sighs. "Okay _ fine _." and glares at Mingyu when he jumps up and down with glee. "But if I get killed by a ghost, it's your fault."

Mingyu nods solemnly, even while he's trying hard to cool the grin on his face. "I shall bear the burden of living with that guilt, if the occasion ever arises."

"_ And _," Minghao adds, holding up a light green frog plush he found while cleaning up the spilled mess, "I'm keeping him."

Mingyu gasps. "Mr. Froggy?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I have another fic to work on, but this isn't like, TECHNICALLY a fic because the chapters are going to be SUPER short and SUPER messy, but it's so that I can update frequently (hopefully, idk). And it's for the sake of HALLOWEENNN!!!  
If anyone wants to adapt this into a longer, more detailed and thought out fic or oneshot or something, please do (cuz I would like to read it)!!  
Aaaaanyways, I hope this was okay to read!


	2. Stupid Huge House

“You have got to be kidding me.” Minghao says incredulously.

They’re standing in front of the Jeon Manor, their large boxes placed on the ground around them. There aren't technically that many, after Mingyu reluctantly gave away the large box of ping pong balls he for some reason kept. It’s down to 3 large boxes, one still devoted entirely to stuffed animals (aside from Mr. Froggy, whom Minghao insisted ride in the front seat with them), that they managed to pack into the backseat of Mingyu’s car. 

At some point during the drive towards the Jeon Manor, noon fell to night, and the scenery changed from populated buildings and street lights to… nothing. Mingyu was sure he must’ve taken a wrong turn at some point, but it was at that moment Minghao spotted a large house in a near empty field with only a few trees around it. All in all, it’s surprising how much auras can change within a fifteen minute drive. 

The house in completely dark, framed with an atmosphere just like it. It’s like a black and white picture of a victorian style manor, except it’s not a picture- that’s just the color. The house could’ve been white at some point, 500 years ago when it was new, but now it’s hard to tell. The clouds are dark grey and closing in, and somewhere in the distance, there are sounds of thunder and streaks of lightning.

“It literally _ looks _haunted!” Minghao points vigorously towards the view. A crow screeches as if to agree.

Mingyu rolls his eyes. He's still on the side of _ haunted is better than homeless _ , and a crow doesn't prove anything. This living arrangement is probably _ better _than a dorm, because 1. Wonwoo is there, and 2. There's no housing fee. They'd offered to pay the rent, but Wonwoo had declined, saying that this house was technically owned by his family.

“Do you think Wonwoo’s home?” Mingyu asks. It's pretty dark and the windows are pitch black.

“No. He is most definitely not, we should go find him.” 

Minghao turns to leave, but Mingyu grabs at his arm. “He texted me that he’d meet us here.”

Minghao raises a single brow. “You have his number.”

Mingyu grins proudly. “He gave it to me.”

Despite the darkness, Mingyu can see pretty far because of the devoid of trees and houses and anything normally found in a town, and Wonwoo is nowhere to be seen. Just as he’s thinking that, a voice comes up from his left. “Hello.”

Mingyu jumps.

“Is this all you have?” Wonwoo asks, motioning towards their boxes.

“Jesus christ, where did you come from?” Minghao asks, looking just as startled as Mingyu.

“My parents.” Wonwoo replies.

Mingyu just has to _ assume _this is Wonwoo’s way of cracking a joke, and he laughs nervously. “Good one.”

Wonwoo helps them get the boxes to the house, and when he opens the front door, the inside is brightly lit.

It’s so _ big _ . They enter into a large hall with a high ceiling and chandeliers. There is a small sitting area to the side, where they momentarily set down their boxes so that Mingyu can let his arms rest. Mingyu looks around in amazement. “Woah, you live _ here _? It’s huge!”

Minghao, on the other hand, is standing at the doorway, frowning and looking back and forth between outside and inside. “I swear the house looked dark from the outside.” He mutters. Wonwoo doesn’t hear him, but Mingyu does. Minghao telepathically screams _ haunted!!! _ at Mingyu. 

Mingyu shrugs. He remembers it being dark from the outside too, but strange lighting doesn’t mean the house is haunted.

“Yeah, I guess it's pretty huge.” Wonwoo says, playing with the sleeves of his sweatshirt. “It’s also pretty lonely though.”

“Have you seen The Shining?” Minghao says aloud.

Wonwoo smiles. “The one where the guy turns into a psycho maniac from loneliness in a big empty hotel?”

Minghao nods suspiciously.

Wonwoo nods. “Yeah.”

Minghao gives Mingyu a look, and Mingyu doesn’t bother translating it.

Wonwoo lets out a nervous laugh when he realizes what Minghao is getting at. "Relax, I'm not gonna turn into an ax wielding murderer. Besides, I'm not actually alone."

Minghao's head snaps up at that. Mingyu turns to look at him curiously as well.

"Because I have you guys." Wonwoo adds hastily, after an awkward pause.

Minghao's grip tightens slightly around the box he's carrying. "Yes, thank you again for giving letting us stay here. We'd probably be out on the streets right now if it weren't for you."

"Yeah," Mingyu adds on eagerly. "Thank you so much! I promise I won't set off the fire alarm!"

Wonwoo laughs, and Mingyu looks starstruck. "I'll hold you to that."

Minghao gives Mingyu the side eye. "I wouldn't bother."

Mingyu glares at Minghao, and Wonwoo grins. "Come on, I'll show you guys to your rooms."

After a long journey of twists and turns, halfway through which Mingyu realizes _ Fuck, where did we come from? _ and _ I am so going to get lost _, they arrive in a hallway with two doors across from each other.

"You guys can room here." Wonwoo says. "Um, do you guys want share a room? Or…"

Mingyu nods, thinking that it'd be best if they shared one like they did when they lived on campus buildings, so that they'd take up less space and Wonwoo wouldn't have to worry about cleaning.

Wonwoo nods, and Mingyu can't really decipher the expression on his face.

Minghao gives Mingyu the infamous_ Are you an idiot? _ look, and Mingyu tries his very best to _ not _look confused, even though he very much is.

Wonwoo opens the door to the room on the left of the hallway, and just like the rest of the house, the room is huge. There are large framed paintings on the walls, a mini fire place at the front of the room, and… one bed.

"Oh, no." Minghao says, shaking his head. "I refuse to share a bed with Mingyu."

Mingyu nods. "Yes, indeed I agree. You'll sleep on the floor."

Wonwoo chokes back a laugh. "There's another room right across the hall."

Mingyu nods. "I'm so happy that you're house is crazy huge."

Wonwoo shrugs. "Most of the time it's stupid huge."

Wonwoo leaves them to unpack their stuff, and Mingyu turns to Minghao. "Which room do you want?"

"Okay, so I _ definitely _do not want to share a bed with you, but we're going to sleep in different rooms?" Minghao asks.

Mingyu stares back at him. "Uhhh… yeah?"

"You're making me room _ alone _ , in _ this _ place?"

Minghao's gonna go off again about the haunted thing, but Mingyu's really good at reasoning, and he persuades Minghao with "We get our own bathrooms too!"

Minghao says, "That's where Bloody Mary is summoned." but Mingyu knows that Minghao is also considering the luxury of _ not _having to use a communal bathroom.

To really drive it in, Mingyu adds "I also snore, _ really _loud." 

"That's good to know." Wonwoo says, coming up behind them. 

Mingyu makes a mental note to get used to that boy's silent entrances. "Okay, not _ that _loud. Like barely."

Minghao shakes his head. "Oh no, you should hear him yourself. I'll stay in the other room and hopefully I won't be able to hear it." And just like that, Minghao's been convinced to move to the other room, at the cost of Mingyu's dignity.

His dignity is probably worth a room to himself, but in front of _ Wonwoo _? 

"You guys can come down when you're done unpacking. I'll make food cause you two probably haven't eaten yet." Wonwoo says.

Mingyu realizes that he _ is _ actually very hungry, and it's already 9 pm. "Oh my God I'm in love with you." He blurts out.

Wonwoo's face flushes silver. "Um…"

Mingyu's eyes widen. "Did I say you? I meant food. I love food." He pauses. "Not that I don't love you, but, um…"

Wonwoo doesn't make eye contact with him. "Yeah, food. I'm… going to go make some. Bye."

"Bye." Mingyu says, half disappointed and half grateful that Wonwoo leaves.

"Nice save." Minghao snickers.

"You think?"

"No." Minghao shakes his head. "That was horrible. Did you see how his face turned kind of silver-ish?"

At that, Mingyu lightens up. "Yeah, his blush is _ so _cute, it makes him look so cute."

Minghao frowns. "Mingyu, people blush red."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why is ao3 doing this weird thing where two notes are being added to this chapter? Is that normal? Is it a glitch? Am I doing something wrong??? please advise


	3. Worth a Bed

Dinner is nice, and thankfully, it didn't have super prominent spooky vibes. It was, however,  _ very  _ uncomfortable on Minghao's part after Mingyu started gaining confidence and flirting with Wonwoo. 

Mingyu's first attempts made Minghao want to rip either his or Mingyu's ears off, because he'd say dumb things like, "You're so good at cooking rice."

Wonwoo would turn silvery pale (which Minghao still finds strange. Not that it's bad, but is it even biologically  _ possible _ for a  _ human  _ blush silver?) and mumble "Yeah, thanks." It's cute in a try-not-to-throw-up way.

Minghao keeps his eyes on his own bowl of rice, but he can almost  _ feel  _ the residual radiation of adoration from the path Mingyu's heart eyes are paving towards Wonwoo. He doesn't know how Wonwoo can stand it. Or maybe Wonwoo also likes Mingyu, and they can both be gross together.

Minghao's happy for his best friend/ex-roommate-because-theres-no-dorm, Mingyu had been gushing about Wonwoo since the start of the semester. Most of what Minghao knows about Wonwoo is from Mingyu, but also Mingyu has this way of only seeing the good and disregarding the bad, so there's that. Mingyu's also never mentioned being gay and in love with Wonwoo, but Minghao's not an idiot.

When Minghao tunes back into the conversation, Mingyu finishes saying, "and that's why Uranus is a fake planet."

Wonwoo has a slightly impressed look on his face, and Minghao turns to him. "Are you actually listening to this moron?"

Wonwoo shakes his head. "I'm just trying to grasp how someone with such a small brain managed to survive this long."

Minghao laughs. He understands what Mingyu sees in Wonwoo now. 

Mingyu gasps. "You two are ganging up on me."

At that moment, a black cat jumps onto the table. "You have a cat?" Mingyu asks, startled.

On the other hand, Minghao exclaims, "You have a cat!"

Wonwoo grumbles. "Well, now I'm disowning him, because he's  _ not allowed to climb on the table _ ."

It's a relatively small cat, with short and shiny black fur. The cat tilts his head up as if disregarding what Wonwoo is saying.

"Aw, he's so cute!" Mingyu says, upon getting a better look at the feline. The cat immediately turns to Mingyu and hisses. Mingyu recoils in surprise. "Please don't bite me!"

"Woozi, you can't do that." Wonwoo tells the cat.

Woozi merely turns his head up at Wonwoo and his body away from Mingyu, and goes towards Minghao's side of the table.

Instead of just reaching his hand out, Minghao asks, "Can I pet him?"

Wonwoo eyes the cat. "We I guess that's up to Woozi to decide."

Minghao tentatively reaches a hand out, and Woozi eyes it. Slowly, the cat allows Minghao to pet it's fur. Seemingly satisfied, the cat scootches closer to Minghao.

"Oh, he likes you!" Wonwoo says, delighted.

But then Woozi's true intentions are made clear once he starts eating from Minghao's bowl of rice.

"Wow, this cat is  _ really  _ smart." Minghao says.

"And annoying." Wonwoo adds.

Minghao gazes affectionately at the cat. " _ Ke ai. _ "  _ Cute _ .

When they finish their dinner and Woozi finishes Minghao's bowl of rice, Minghao clears the table, and Wonwoo gets started on the dishes.

Mingyu kind of stands there awkwardly, until Wonwoo glances back at him and says, "Mingyu, can you help me?"

"Anything for you." Mingyu grins.

Wonwoo sighs, exasperated. "Just help me with the dishes. Can you wash the silverware?"

When Minghao finishes wiping the table, he turns to find Mingyu playing with bubbles next to Wonwoo by the sink. He tells them that he's going to go to bed early, but in reality, those two deserve some alone time, and Minghao has no desire in becoming a third wheel.

"Okay," Wonwoo says. "Sleep well!"

When he actually  _ does _ get to bed, though, it is well past midnight and into early morning. At the corner of the room, there is a clothes hanger that looks vaguely like the silhouette of a person in the dark, and a jagged crack on the ceiling that resembles a vein, and it kind of freaks him out, but Minghao's brain is already sluggish and being dragged into the sweet dullness of sleep.

. . .

"Isn't he kind of hot?" Jun whispers towards Jihoon. Well, Woozi technically, because he was in his cat form. "And I think he's chinese."

_ I think you're kind of weird. _ Woozi replies bluntly. 

"Don't talk so loud!" Jun shushes him.

Woozi rolls his little cat eyes.  _ I'm literally communicating with you telepathically _ .

"Shhh, you'll wake him." Jun floats closer towards Minghao's bed. Technically, it was Jun's bed, but Wonwoo had begged Jun to give it up since ghosts technically don't need to sleep anyways, and something about a really cute boy and his roommate that he'd invited to live with them. But Jun  _ likes  _ sleeping, so Wonwoo  _ was _ depriving him of something he regarded as very crucial. As a trade, he'd made Wonwoo promise to let him float through walls, since it was always something that had annoyed Wonwoo. Wonwoo said it wasn't worth a bed, so he'd also added that Jun wasn't allowed to haunt the guests while they were here, which Jun wasn't planning on doing anyways, but Wonwoo doesn't need to know that.

_ Why are you even invisible? _

"Less risk of him seeing me." Jun replies. "Which is kind of his loss, I guess."

_ Doesn't Wonwoo already like this dude? _ Woozi asks.

"I thought that at first too, but Wonwoo likes the other one." Jun flips through the air to hover next to Woozi, who's perched on a shelf on the opposite side of the room. "Meaning he's  _ available _ ."

_ And probably not interested in ghosts _ . Woozi reminds.

Jun pouts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting again after 12 am when I also want 8 hours of sleep but whatever :)


	4. Cooped Up Like A Prisoner

.

School sucks because it doesn’t leave Mingyu  _ alone _ . Here he is, trying to adjust into a new living arrangement and flirt with the cute guy from his music theory class that  _ invited  _ him to live with him, albeit on a property may or may not be haunted, and his calc teacher decides to schedule the most important test of the semester this week!

Minghao was probably long gone within the clutches of sleep, but Mingyu was being dumb and decided to procrastinate, because his brain is most productive after the sun has long set. He had been working in the living room, but then he’d needed to go to the bathroom, and he must’ve taken a wrong turn somewhere, so now he’s lost in the maze of large, long halls of Wonwoo’s house. 

He glances at his phone.  _ 2:53 am _ . Good, very good.

He’s beginning to get worried that he might never find his way to a bathroom, or back to his bedroom so he could sleep.

Suddenly, his ears pick up on some voices. 

“LET ME OUT OF HERE!” The voice startles Mingyu, and his heart rate spikes up.

He continues down the dark hall he’s walking, and sees a strip of light shining on the floor. The light is shining through a crack in the door, and he creeps toward the illuminated room.

“You know I can’t do that.” Mingyu recognizes this voice as Wonwoo’s.

“You can’t keep me in here forever!” The other voice says angrily.

There’s some clinking sounds of glass and liquid. “Here, drink this.” Wonwoo says.

“I will die of thirst before I drink that.”

“I’ll shove it down your throat.” Wonwoo threatens.

“You’re literally a monster.”

Mingyu tries his best to get as close to the door as possible, and strains to hear what’s going on behind it. There are some pained sounds, and Mingyu is terrified. 

_ What the fuck? _

Mingyu thinks back to what Minghao said about barely knowing Wonwoo, and that there is something messed up about the Jeon Manor. He’s never doubted his instincts before, but maybe Minghao is right…

“Can I go out now?” The voice asks timidly. “I haven’t breathed fresh air in weeks.”

“No one can know that you’re here, okay? I’m serious, Soonyoung, if anyone finds out...” Wonwoo trails off. There are some shuffling noises, and Mingyu realizes that they are heading towards the door that his ear is currently pressed against.

Without a second thought, Mingyu vaults his body away from the door and begins sprinting as far away from that room as possible.

Somehow, he ends up in front of his own room, and he opens the door, then slams it closed and locks himself behind it, back pressed against his own door, chest heaving from exhaustion after all that running.

_ Soonyoung _ .

The name tugs at a few strings at the back of his mind, but he can’t follow it. It’s so familiar, but he doesn’t know  _ where _ .

He doesn’t know how he’s going to wrap his mind around what he just heard, or admit to Minghao that there is something very, very freakish about the Jeon Manor.

. . .

“I can’t believe you just keep me cooped up in here, like a prisoner.”

Wonwoo rolls his eyes. “You’re being dramatic.”

But it was a rather unfair situation for Soonyoung. After all, it wasn’t his fault he’d got bitten. “And you make me drink that vile concoction.” The other boy whines.

“Do you want to die?”

Soonyoung laughs nervously. “You’re kidding… right?”

Wonwoo just shrugs. “Maybe.”

Soonyoung throws his arms up in the air. “Unbelievable!”

His volume makes Wonwoo flinch. So far it hasn’t been so bad, as instincts are kicking in and Soonyoung sleeps more during the day, but at night… Wonwoo doesn’t know how he’s going to hide Soonyoung’s presence from Mingyu and Minghao for so long. He doesn’t even know how long they’re  _ staying _ . He was just being dumb and his mouth says dumb things the second he sees an attractive looking boy, and he wants to kick himself.

“Can we go now?” Soonyoung asks.

Wonwoo peers out the window. The moon is gibbous, but not quite full yet; it should be safe enough. “Okay, we can go now.” Wonwoo says. 

There’s a meow, and Wonwoo looks down to find Woozi pacing at their feet.

Soonyoung grins. “Hello, Woozi.” He reaches down to pet the cat, but Woozi hisses, as per usual, and, as per usual, Soonyoung just grins.

No matter how much that cat seems to hate Soonyoung, he’s always conveniently around the other boy. Wonwoo gives Woozi the side eye. Soonyoung is still unaware of most other things that go on around this house, and he doesn’t know if Jihoon told Soonyoung about himself yet. Oh well, that’s Jihoon’s secret to tell, and that wasn’t Wonwoo’s problem. It’s Jun’s job to butt into things, whereas Wonwoo’s job is to silently judge from the sides.

“Yay!” Soonyoung exclaims, and flings the door open.

Wonwoo follows behind Soonyoung and Woozi, smiling to himself as he watches the new turned boy run off into the forest, savoring the rare times he can actually feel mostly human again.

* * *


	5. Psycho Maniac Kidnapper

* * *

Okay, so.

Mingyu’s accepted that the boy he thinks is really cool may or may not be a psycho-maniac kidnapper, which is _ fine _.

The thing is, he doesn’t know how he’s going to break this to Minghao without getting an _ I told you so _ . He’s also wondering whether relationships between sane people and psycho-maniacs work out at all. Probably not- hence why he’s _ really _hoping there’s a good explanation for what he heard last night between Wonwoo and some boy named Soonyoung.

Mingyu decides to mention it subtly and casually when him and Minghao are at the library. “Hey, Minghao, do you know someone on campus named Soonyoung?”

“Why?” Minghao asks, casually flipping through an old tattered book, then placing it back on the shelf and grabbing another one. Mingyu cranes his neck to catch the title of the first one. _ How to Banish Evil Spirits: A Step By Step Guide. _

“I don’t know, I just felt like I’ve heard that name before.” Mingyu replies lamely.

“Oh, well, he was our dance team captain a while back. He was really good, but one day he just… left. Like, it was like he disappeared.” Minghao replies, not paying much attention to Mingyu, whose face was slowly becoming more and more pale with each word.

Okay, so.

Wonwoo _ definitely _kidnapped Soonyoung and is holding him hostage.

He just has to find a way to act clueless about it for a while, before he can get to the bottom of things. And Mingyu is _ really _good at acting casual.

That night, when Mingyu is up late studying again in the living room, Wonwoo comes up behind him and asks, “What are you up to?”

Startled, like he always is when Wonwoo is around, he drops the textbook he’s holding in his hand, and it drops on his foot. “Nothing!” Mingyu replies, voice too high, both from fear and trying to hide the pain he’s currently suffering from when that five pound textbook unfortunately found his sensitive toes as a landing pad.

Wonwoo raises a single brow. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, of course I’m okay, why wouldn’t I be okay? Are you okay?”

“No reason.” Wonwoo says. “But you look like you’re going to cry.”

“Oh, you mean the textbook dropping on my toe?” Mingyu scoffs. “It’s nothing. I didn’t even feel it.” He bites his lip, and wipes away a tear at the corner of his eye before it can fall out.

Wonwoo comes around to pick up the textbook, and when he does, a beam of moonlight falls on his hand through the window, and he flinches. Mingyu frowns, but the other boy shakes it off. He asks Mingyu again, “Are you sure you’re okay?” When really, Mingyu should be asking Wonwoo that question, after he had that kind of reaction to a bit of moonlight. And looking at him, Mingyu thinks _ how can this guy be a psycho-maniac kidnapper? _

Okay, so.

Maybe Mingyu has to reconsider his plan. He’s thinking about it when he’s in his room and folding his clothes. There must be _ some _scenario where Wonwoo isn’t holding Soonyoung hostage.

Mingyu decides that the only way to find out is to pay this Soonyoung guy a visit, tonight.

That’s when Minghao barges in. “I TOLD YOU THIS HOUSE IS HAUNTED!”


	6. Light Switch

* * *

* * *

Minghao had just come out of the bathroom from showering after he heard a crashing sound of some heavy object falling to the floor. 

Turns out, it was only Woozi, perched on the shelf where one of the vases used to be. That’s normal, cat’s are normal, Woozi is... supposedly normal.

That’s when suddenly the lights start flickering on and off, and that's very _not _normal.

He _ knew _ the _ only _explanation was that there were ghosts in this house, but Wonwoo had been very nice and genuine so far, so he’d decided to give the undead spirits the benefit of the doubt.

He thinks _ There must be something wrong with the electricity right now. _ But then his eye catches the light switch, and it’s _ moving _up and down on its own, very quickly.

At this point, Minghao’s heart rate has already spiked up to the point that it’s hardly in his chest, but he decides that before he can fight something or run, he needs to put on a shirt. He goes towards his drawer, and realizes that it’s already open, which it is _ not supposed to be _. He distinctly remembers it being closed when he left for the bathroom, or else he wouldn’t have gotten every piece of clothing aside from a shirt.

He tells himself it must be the uneven floorboards that caused the drawer to slide out, which is honestly too much of a stretch, but he was _ really _hoping that there were actually no ghosts in this house. Minghao is rarely happy about being wrong, but this would be one of those times.

Besides, it’s 12 am, and he _ refuses _ to be haunted at _ this _time. It’s too stereotypical, even for a place called “The Jeon Manor”. As if the spooky atmosphere and lack of sunlight in this exact plot of land weren’t enough. And Minghao needs to sleep too.

He grabs a shirt and goes to close the drawer, when suddenly it slams closed on it’s own.

_ Nope! _ Minghao thinks putting on the shirt and running out, slamming the door behind him.

He immediately flings the door open to Mingyu’s room. “I TOLD YOU THIS HOUSE IS HAUNTED.”

. . .

Wonwoo is going to be _ so _ mad when he finds out that Jun haunted. He didn’t do it on _ purpose _, and it was technically all Woozi’s fault.

He was in his room, because even though a cute boy is living in it, it is still technically his room.

Jun was honestly just trying to grab some of his things so that he could move them to another room down the hall (although Jun didn’t see why, if there were so many rooms, Wonwoo couldn’t get the humans to stay in any of those other rooms). Just the necessities: like materializing medicine, moon mint, and a book. And okay, technically, ghosts don’t need light to see, but neither do humans. It’s just easier to see things when there is light.

He flicks on the light switch, trying to look for that book he was in the middle of reading, when Woozi comes in. 

_ What are you doing? _ The cat demands. _ This light was off before, you can’t just turn it on like that! _

Jun rolls his eyes. “Relax, Minghao’s in the bathroom.”

_ But he’ll still notice! _

“He’d probably be able to see the light from under the door crack anyways. Wouldn’t it be drawing more attention if I just turned the light off now?”

_ Of course not! _ Woozi says, using his tail to close the light switch.

“Don’t do that!” Jun whines, flicking it back on.

_ I’m gonna call him out. _Woozi says, and, while his cat eyes are fixed on Jun for the entire time, he uses his paw to hit the vase next to him and send it tumbling to the ground.

In the next moment, Minghao steps out of the bathroom, _ without a shirt _ . Normally, Jun would love to admire the view (he has abs!), but he’s too busy with the realization that _ the human is out. _His first instinct is to hide, but then he realizes that he is, in fact, a ghost, and he’s in his invisible form too, so Minghao is looking right past him.

Woozi uses his tail to flick the light switch back off again, and instinctively, Jun flicks it back on.

_ You idiot, now he just saw the light turn on by itself! _ Woozi scolds.

Jun hastily turns the light off again.

_ Are you dumb! _ Woozi yells. Well, kind of yells, because he’s not technically talking.

Jun flinches and flicks the light switch on yet again.

That’s when he notices that the drawer he opened while looking for that book is still open, and Minghao is bound to notice the sudden and unexplainable change.

Jun floats over to the drawer and slams it shut, thinking he did a job well done, when he _ also _realizes that Minghao is already out, and was right next to him when he did that. 

The human puts on a shirt (much to Jun’s disappointment), and storms out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

_ Wow, _ Woozi says, _ You are just such a charmer. _

From the other room, Jun hears Minghao say, “I told you this house was haunted!” to the other human Wonwoo likes, and Jun thinks _ I’m so screwed. _


	7. No Better Time Than the Present

“I TOLD YOU THIS HOUSE IS HAUNTED!”

Mingyu blinks. He takes a deep breath.  _ Okay, no better time than the present.  _ “I think Wonwoo kidnapped Soonyoung and is holding him hostage.”

Minghao is silent for a while, and then, “WHAT?”

Mingyu blanches. “I got lost the other night, and heard Wonwoo talking with Soonyoung, and Soonyoung asked Wonwoo if he could go outside, and Wonwoo also made him drink some sort of potion, and he was coughing and choking… oh my god.” Until he'd told Minghao the whole story out loud, he hadn't realized how unbelievable it sounded, in a bad way.

Minghao frowns. “That’s crazy. Wonwoo’s so nice, though.”

Mingyu nods. “I mean I don’t think he  _ kidnapped  _ Soonyoung, there must be some other explanation…”

Minghao shakes his head. “Don’t tell me you’re planning to go to that room again and find out if Soonyoung is locked in there.”

“Well, now it’s  _ your  _ plan.”

Minghao’s face twists. “Okay, fine, but I’m going with you.”

Mingyu raises a questioning brow. “I thought you were against that plan.”

“Yeah, but also if Soonyoung really is held hostage in this house, then I should go, since he knows me. And I’m not staying anywhere in this house alone, thank you very much.”

Mingyu frowns, and before he can even say anything, Minghao goes off on a tangent.

“Hey, if  _ you  _ can think that your crush is a crazy psycho-maniac kidnapper, then why can’t I think- no,  _ know _ \- that the house is haunted.”

“Well-”

“The lights flickered! And not only that, the  _ switch  _ was moving on its own, Mingyu.” Minghao says, waving his arms around for emphasis.

Mingyu looks towards his own light switch. It looked as normal as things looked in this house. “Have you thought about electricity-”

“And then I went to get a shirt from my drawer, and it slammed closed, on its own!”

Okay, that ones a little harder to explain. If it had opened on its own, the phenomenon could’ve been easily dismissed by uneven floorboards, but if it  _ slammed closed _ … Mingyu still has a hard time believing it. Maybe there was just something weird about old furniture. After all, this house and almost everything in it was probably a hundred years old. Heck, Wonwoo has a record player in the sitting room right next to the entrance. Who uses a  _ record player _ ? Minghao had pointed to it and said  _ That's the kind of stuff ghosts like _ .

Minghao glares at him. “You don’t believe me, do you?”   
Mingyu’s jaw drops open in mock offence. “How dare you accuse me of such at thing?”

Minghao crosses his arms. “Well, I don’t care if you don’t believe me, because there is no way I am going back in that roo- Oh no.” 

Mingyu sees Minghao’s face go pale. “What?”

“I left Mr. Froggy in there.”

Mingyu’s eyes widen. “I gift you my precious plush and you leave him in a haunted room!”

But Minghao’s already opening the door from Mingyu’s bedroom and carefully stepping out. He walks across the hall to his own room, with Mingyu following behind.

Slowly, Minghao creaks the door to his own room open. Mr. Froggy sits on the right nightstand by the bed, on the opposite side of the room.

Mingyu rolls his eyes. Nothing looks haunted about the room. With a gentle shove, he pushes Minghao in. 

Minghao glares back at him.

Mingyu just shrugs and opens the door wider so that he can step in as well. “It looks normal to me.”

Minghao turns to Mingyu. “Well if you saw what I saw…”

But Mingyu is no longer paying attention to what Minghao is saying. Instead, his eyes are fixed on something behind Minghao. Mr. Froggy is hovering in midair, and moving towards them. “Minghao…” Mingyu says, voice cracking. He can hardly feel his own tongue with how quickly his heart is beating. He blinks a few times, just to make sure his eyes are actually working properly. Yup, that’s a stuffed animal that’s definitely moving on its own.

Minghao turns around, and right next to him, floats Mr. Froggy. “FUCKING HELL.”

Mingyu’s already turned around and is out of the room, and, after grabbing the frog plush out of the clutches of seemingly normal air, Minghao follows him.

“A-ha!” Minghao says, once they are back in Mingyu’s room, with the door closed firmly behind them. “I told you so!”

Mingyu is still wide eyed, and his heart still feels like it’s about to jump out of his chest. In all honesty, he might throw up. “Mr. Froggy got possessed by a ghost.” Mingyu mutters.

Minghao looks at him like he’s an idiot. “Are you stupid? A ghost was obviously trying to hand him to us.”

Mingyu gives him a look. “Are you listening to yourself right now?”

“Ghosts can’t possess inanimate objects, Mingyu.”

“And since when did  _ you  _ learn so much about ghosts?”

“Since you first suggested we move here! At least I was smart enough to brush up on some research.”

Mingyu runs a hand through is hair. “So…”  _ Okay, so this house is definitely haunted. _

“So, you want to go see Soonyoung tonight?”


	8. Boohoo

After unintentionally scaring  _ both _ of Wonwoo’s house guests, Jun went outside to find Woozi. Or Jihoon, whichever one it may be. No better way to procrastinate breaking bad news to Wonwoo and also distract himself from current problems than poking at a short angry being.

By the dock of a small river, sits a young boy, about Jun’s age, except alive and far shorter in terms of height. It was, of course, the only place Jihoon would be on the night of a full moon.

“Hey.” Jun greeted, floating over to sit by Jihoon at the edge of the dock. Their feet hang off the edge, above the water. The water flows from a small river behind the Jeon Manor, and it isn’t really noticeable until a few yards out. It was the only place where the moonlight could shine through the trees, and so obviously, that’s where Jihoon would be the night of a full moon.

Jihoon turns towards Jun and nods his head, acknowledging Jun’s presence.

“Did you get some of the water?” Jun asks.

Jihoon holds up a small vial of river water, that had an ever so soft of a glow that it was probably unnoticeable to humans. “Yeah, got it just now, even though last month’s vial is still full. I don’t really use it anymore.” The only way Jihoon could shift out of Woozi, his cat form, was either to drink water that had been exposed to the full moon, or just to be exposed to the full moon’s light, period. Lately, Jihoon hasn’t been drinking his moon water.

“It’s been a while since we’ve seen you. It’s not the same as talking to a cat.”

Jihoon frowns. “It’s me either way.” 

Jun thinks about Woozi and Jihoon like two different beings, but they were really the same. Jun suspects that Jihoon doesn’t want his name to be tied to his curse, hence the two names. “Come on, maybe Seungcheol will have a new potion that will be more permanent. I think he and Jeonghan are coming over in a few days for Halloween.” Jun’s mouth goes dry thinking about that day.

“A curse is a curse.” Jihoon says, and the implied meaning is  _ There will never be a potion that can break this curse _ .

Jun lifts a hand to rub Jihoon on the shoulder, but when he does, his hand goes right through Jihoon. Jun frowns. “Well, at least you’re alive, and on this earth.”

Jihoon glances at Jun’s hand. “You still can’t materialize?”

Jun groans in frustration. “It’s so weird. I’m taking my medicine but I still can’t… I’m fading, Jihoon, we both know it.”

Jihoon shakes his head aggressively. “Don’t talk like that. Think about the things you can stay for. Halloween is coming up, there’s something.”

Jun looks away.  _ If I haven’t already faded by then _ . “I did hold something today.” Jun says, as a way to cheer things up. The leaves rustle in appreciation.

Jihoon looks at him, gesturing for him to continue.

“You know that frog Minghao really likes? I managed to pick it up and hand it to him.” Jun says proudly.

Jihoon shakes his head, even if there is a small smile that plays on his lips. “Stop terrorizing that poor boy.”

Jun pouts. “But it’s  _ really  _ fun. Besides, it’s not as if Minghao is  _ scared _ , he just doesn’t  _ know _ .”

Jihoon glares at him. “Don’t tell me you plan on appearing in front of him.”

“I wish I could materialize in front of him.” Jun mutters under his breath. It’s not enough just to have Minghao  _ see _ him, Jun wants to touch him. It sounds weird when he thinks about it like that, but he wants to feel a human hand before he fades.

Jihoon cuts him a sharp glare.

Jun rolls his eyes. “Oh, boohoo. It’s not like you haven’t shifted in front of Soonyoung before.”

“I haven’t.” Jihoon replies sharply. “Not since that night. And you knew the circumstances.”

Yes, Jun does. That night Jihoon shifted in front of Soonyoung was the same night Soonyoung had gotten bitten. Jihoon had basically saved Soonyoung’s life. “Why not, though? You like him, don’t you?”

Jihoon chokes on air. “Excuse me? Of course not. He’s dumb and clumsy and always happy. And besides, the moon is his Achilles heel.”  _ Whereas the moon is basically my ambrosia.  _

“Well not all of us have the same amount of self control as you.” Jun counters.

“Do you even  _ like  _ Minghao?”

Jun considers this. “It’s too soon to say, I guess. But he’s sharp and funny and smart, and sometimes, he’s even nice. He knows about me too, technically.”

Jihoon has that affectionate smile on his face again, even though he is shaking his head back on forth. “Whatever you say, Jun.”


	9. Window Curtains

Mingyu creeps along the hallway he had been at the night before, Minghao following after him, not trying in the slightest to seem discrete. 

“I was here yesterday, trying to look for a bathroom.” Mingyu whispers. 

Minghao squints his eyes. “There’s literally a bathroom right here.” Minghao’s hand gestures to the corner right next to him.

Mingyu walks over, and sure enough, there's a door around the corner that leads to a bathroom. “Listen, it was dark last night, okay?”

Minghao throws his arms up. “It’s dark tonight too!”

“Shhh!” Mingyu hisses, putting a finger up to his lips.

“Okay, so where do we go now?”

Mingyu is about to confess that he’s lost, and that he’s been lost for a while now, when he sees a familiar beam of light coming from under a door crack at the far end of the hallway. “This way.” Mingyu whispers, continuing down the hallway, his body pressed against the wall.

Minghao gives him a look, and continues walking down the very center of the hallway.

“It hurts!” A voice wails. _ Soonyoung _.

They’re close enough that they can hear what’s going on behind the door.

“I told you to keep the windows closed.” _ Wonwoo is in there too. _

Mingyu stares back at Minghao, wide eyed. _ See? _He mouths.

_ What are you waiting for, then? _ Minghao mouths back. _ Go in. _

_ What? Of course not! Wonwoo’s still in there! _Mingyu throws his arms up, nearly poking Minghao in the eye. 

It’s a good thing that Minghao has fast reflexes, or else they might not have been friends. “Watch your hands, buffoon!” 

Mingyu shushes him. _ Buffoon? _That’s a new one.

Wonwoo sighs. “I’ll go out to get more of that-”

“No!” Soonyoung whines. “I can’t take it anymore! If I drink another drop, I’ll die!”

There’s some shuffling sounds, and then the door opens. Both Mingyu and Minghao press their bodies flat against the wall, and hold their breaths. Although breathing sounds now seem insignificant compared to the loud thumping of Mingyu’s heart. Wonwoo steps out of the room, and luckily, in the dark they can see that his silhouette is getting smaller and smaller, meaning he’s headed the other way.

Mingyu uses to fingers to motion towards the door.

Minghao gives him a confused look.

“It means ‘let’s go’. Have you _ never _seen a spy movie before?” Mingyu whispers.

Minghao just rolls his eyes and starts walking towards the door.

Mingyu rushes after him. Mingyu is the one that eventually pushes the door open.

“Wonwoo?” Soonyoung asks hesitantly.

Minghao gives Mingyu a look. _ This is your idea _.

Mingyu clears his throat. “I’m not Wonwoo.” He opens the door wider, and steps into the light.

Soonyoung’s eyes widen. “Where’s Wonwoo? You’re not supposed to know I’m here!” Then Minghao steps into the room, and Soonyoung’s eyes flick towards him. “Minghao! What are you doing here? Where’s Wonwoo?”

“Hi, Soonyoung…” 

Minghao is saying something, but Mingyu’s head is caught around the words _ You’re not supposed to know I’m here! _ And Soonyoung seems pretty concerned for Wonwoo, so no matter how he looks at it… “So Wonwoo _ didn’t _kidnap you!”

Soonyoung and Minghao break off their conversation to fix both their eyes on Mingyu.

“Of course not!” Soonyoung says, throwing his arms up in the air. “He could never. And where is Wonwoo anyways?”

“Damnit.” Wonwoo says, coming up behind them. He brings both hands up over his face.

“Wonwoo!” Soonyoung exclaims. “Are they supposed to know I’m here?”

“No.” Wonwoo says, voice muffled behind his hands. There’s a moment of silence, then Wonwoo brings his hand down and sighs. “Okay, Mingyu, Minghao, this is Soonyoung.”

Soonyoung nods. “I used to go to school with them.”

“Why are we not supposed to know that you’re keeping Soonyoung in here?” Minghao asks. 

Minghao always gets straight to the point like that, and most of the time, Mingyu begs Minghao to be more flowery with his words so that they sound nice, but this time, his dumb mouth adds on to it. “You aren’t a crazy psycho-maniac kidnapper that’s holding him hostage, right?”

Wonwoo throws his arms up in the air. “What? No! Of course not!” He stutters a bit, making hand gestures to emphasize his point. They aren’t the hand gestures of a psycho-maniac kidnapper though, so that’s good. “Oh my god, no. Soonyoung is my cousin. He has the same, uh, medical condition as me, so my aunt sent him here so that I could take care of him. And the school here is good too, so that’s why you guys also know him.”

Soonyoung nods. “It’s just that the…” Soonyoung’s eyes flit over to Wonwoo, “condition,” he pauses, “has been hard on me lately, so I was pulled out of Pledis for the semester.” 

“Then why are you keeping him cooped up in here?” Mingyu asks.

“He’s not keeping me cooped up in here!” Soonyoung defends.

“I heard you talk about wanting to go out last night, though.”

Soonyoung blanches. “That, uhhh…”

“It’s the condition.” Wonwoo explains. “Certain environmental factors will trigger bad reactions from the… disease?”

“And the thing you’ve been making him drink…”

“Medicine.” Wonwoo explains with a sigh. 

“Ah,” Mingyu says, nodding. “That makes more sense now.” In fact, he is _ elated _that Wonwoo isn’t a psychopath. Maybe now he has a chance. But then Mingyu also remembers that Wonwoo probably hates him now that they’ve basically intruded on this whole situation, while he was just trying to help his cousin. “I’m sorry, by the way, for eavesdropping and all this.”

Wonwoo shakes his head, and now there’s a small, amused smile on his lips. “I should have told you guys in the first place. It’s just that this condition… It’s not contagious, but it’s… dangerous.” Wonwoo’s eyes flick over to the closed windows for a split second.

Mingyu notices that the window’s curtains are pulled super close together, and he thinks back to the time Wonwoo flinched when the moonlight touched his hand. _ What exactly is this condition anyways? _

He still has so many more questions he wants to ask, and he’s sure Minghao does too. Mingyu looks over at Minghao. _ Are you going to ask him about the ghost thing? _

Minghao gives a slight shake of his head. _ Not tonight _. There were enough secrets spilled tonight. Maybe tomorrow night.

Although Minghao would disagree, Mingyu’s certainly not an idiot. He’d already intruded on too much, it’d surely be rude to ask. Besides, Soonyoung and Wonwoo were already being too obviously secretive and uncomfortable about it.

Mingyu supposed he’ll do what Minghao does, and start studying.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I keep on getting ideas but also I'm trying to finish this BEFORE Halloween, and all of this is like BARELY edited. It's fun to write though. Thanks for skimming through all the errors!!!


	10. Human Hands

“I’m… not going to sleep just yet.” Mingyu says, once Wonwoo had shooed them out of Soonyoung’s room, saying  _ You guys should get some rest too. _

Minghao gives him a look. “'Just yet'? I’m not sleeping  _ ever _ , now that I know there’s a ghost in this place.”

Mingyu rolls his eyes. “Good thing the ghost is just haunting your room then.”

Minghao looks up at the sky. “Dear lord, why me?”

“Karma.” Mingyu says, and walks away while Minghao glares daggers at the back of his head.

In all truthfulness, though, sleeping with the knowledge that there was an undead entity around him  _ was  _ very unsettling. Of course, he hadn’t gotten the chance to confirm it with Wonwoo yet, because confronting someone about his haunted house right after him and Mingyu broke in on their sick cousin would be kind of rude, but he doesn’t need confirmation. That floating frog was confirmation. Minghao considers intruding into Mingyu’s space, but also Mingyu snores like it’s not damaging to his throat, so  _ that’s  _ not an option.

He heads back to his own room, waving his arms around in the air to see if they pass through anything cold. He doesn’t know if that’s how one is supposed to go about checking for ghosts, but it makes sense to him. Minghao’s plan was just to get his toothbrush and go about his nightly routine somewhere downstairs, because, after all, Mr. Froggy was already safe in Mingyu’s room, and Minghao values his life very much over sleep.

_ This is stupid _ . Minghao thinks, as he waves his arms around in the air checking for ghosts. He feels a chill, but he realizes that’s because the window is open. Then he remembers he never opened the window.

_ Shit _ .

Minghao is less careful about each step, as he’s just trying to quickly gather some things, when suddenly he hits something hard.

The object he hits isn’t  _ hard,  _ per say, it’s soft. It’s not  _ soft _ , but it’s like… human. But there’s nothing  _ there _ .

His thought process is shooting at a hundred miles per hour, and before he finishes the thought about  _ What the fuck did I just hit?  _ A  _ person  _ crashes to the ground.

"JESUS FUCKING CHRIST, WHAT THE FUCK?" 

That is  _ definitely  _ a person that just dropped out of thin air.

“Ow.” The person groans. The person-boy-intruder-burglar(?)-(can burglars drop out of thin air?) groans and goes to stand up.

Minghao is blind with fear and panic, and okay he’s not  _ blind with it _ , because if he were he wouldn’t have remembered the years of martial arts training he’s had. And it’s a good thing he  _ does  _ remember because he moves out of a consistent memory and rhythm, grabbing the intruder’s arm and twisting it around to his back.

Minghao catches sight of the person’s face for a split second, and is still sane enough to think  _ Oh, he’s young and kind of hot _ , but  _ also  _ it’s not like that matters at all.

At one point, this disarming technique is supposed to break a bone, but Minghao’s not going for that. He doesn’t know  _ what  _ he’s going for because  _ this boy just fucking dropped out of thin air? _ And at the point where the opponent is supposed to start feeling pain, Minghao loses his grip. But that’s the thing, because there is _ nothing to grip _ . 

He sees his hand go right through the other boy, and it doesn’t feel like anything, except maybe cold.

Minghao takes a big step back and blinks at the being in front of him.

The definitely-not-human boy stares back at him, unmoving. The other boy is ever so slightly transparent, because Minghao can kind of see Woozi sauntering in- probably startled by the sudden commotion- through the boy’s torso.

That boy is  _ definitely  _ a ghost. 

And a hot one too.

“Fucking hell.” Minghao mutters, and heads straight towards the door, not even caring that he’d just walked through a ghost.

. . .

_ That's strange _ .

Lately it's been challenging for Jun to willfully materialize and lo and behold, in the middle of sleeping on a ghost-made hammock he'd propped in the middle of the room, someone knocked into him and sent him falling to the ground.

See, that's the first thing: When he's in his invisible ghost state, he can't  _ fall  _ on the _ ground _ . If anything he'd fall  _ through _ the ground, which would be terrifying, because there's a very high chance that he would fall right through the very center of the earth, and he's not willing to make that trip again.

And the second thing is that when he turns around to grumble at the other ghost that had caused him to fall, he sees that the thing that bumped into him is  _ not  _ a ghost. In fact, it's  _ Minghao _ .

But Minghao's  _ human _ , and humans can't initiate physical contact with ghosts until they're materialized. That's when Jun realizes he'd  _ materialized _ .

Heck, it's been hard holding  _ inanimate objects _ , and he just made contact with a human! 

What's better is that the human is Minghao! What a fantastic way to be woken up.

_ Wait, no _ , Jun reminds himself.  _ Minghao is  _ human _ . This must be scary for him _ .

He expects things like screaming or running or something, but Minghao does neither of those things. Instead, he does something  _ better _ .

Minghao grabs his arm, and their hands brush, and Jun can check  _ that _ off his bucket list. The touch is like an electric shock that courses through his entire body.

He's so excited that he can feel another human's hand, that it's a while before he realizes that Minghao is, in fact, trying to hurt him.

On instinct, he dissipates so that he's no longer solid, but still visible. Later he regrets it, because he doesn't know how long it will be before he can materialize again. Why is it so easy for him to dissipate, but so hard to materialize? Jun suspects it has something to do with the fading, and he doesn't want to think about it too much, especially when Minghao is looking at him like  _ that _ .

Not that Minghao's looking at him in a particularly good way, but he's still  _ looking _ . Then Minghao walks towards him and right  _ through _ him, and out the door.

Minghao is the most confusing human he's ever come across, and it's like the human is scared and not scared at the same time. It hurts Jun more than it should, that Minghao just walked through him like that. It's a painful reminder that he is a fading ghost, and Minghao doesn't even know him.


	11. Like Fangs

Mingyu's laptop is close to burning hole in his leg, but also it's at 17% battery, but  _ also  _ he's halfway through an article about "The Night's Children".

"Why aren't you asleep?" Wonwoo asks.

Mingyu jumps, startled at Wonwoo's sudden presence. His computer nearly slips off his lap and falls to the ground, but in a split second, Wonwoo catches it before it does. Quick reflexes.  _ Interesting. _

Of course, it's not like Mingyu's researching in his own room. He's sitting in the living room, in the dark, with a bright computer screen in front of him, so it's not like it's hard for someone to creep up on him. "Nothing!" Mingyu replies, even though he really  _ was  _ doing nothing and… that's  _ not  _ the question.

Wonwoo comes around to sit on the couch next to him, and Mingyu shifts his leg to give Wonwoo more space. Wonwoo is close enough that Mingyu can tell there is no warmth radiating off the other boy.

The article he'd just read makes Mingyu regard Wonwoo a little differently.

Wonwoo must sense the change, because he clears his throat and says, "I really am sorry, to you and Minghao, for trying to keep Soonyoung a secret."

_ Yup, _ Mingyu's mind goes,  _ secret, Soonyoung, medical condition. _

_ Night's Children _ .

_ Tired _ .

Mingyu is  _ so  _ tired and sleepy and his brain is sluggish, so it doesn't consult him on anything when he suddenly says, "I know what you are." Because it's  _ dumb  _ and sounds so  _ so  _ unbelievably unbelievable, but it makes  _ sense _ .

Wonwoo sits up straighter. "What do you mean?"

The way the other boy gets all defensive like that makes Mingyu more sure about his assumption. Minghao would probably call him dumb, if he ever told him about his suspicions, but Minghao believes in ghosts and they both saw Mr. Froggy hovering in midair. He takes a cautious breathe. "You leave once every month."

"I have a weak immune system." Wonwoo counters.

"Always during the full moon."

Wonwoo's lips thin out in a line, as if he's reluctant to confirm what Mingyu is trying to get at.

"You're more alert at night than you are in the morning, you're insanely good looking, and you only sleep when there's a new moon."

Wonwoo doesn't respond.

Mingyu opens his mouth tentatively. "I know what you are."

Wonwoo gazes steadily back at him. "Say it out loud."

" _ Vampire _ ."

Wonwoo sits still, and the silence drags out for a couple long seconds- and then he bursts out  _ laughing _ .

Mingyu stares at him, confused.

"I'm sorry, I just-" Wonwoo says between wheezes. "God, you're  _ thick _ ."

Mingyu doesn't know why or how he got Wonwoo to laugh like this, but he thinks if whatever he said was that dumb, if it let his ears be blessed with that gorgeous laugh, Mingyu would say it a thousand times over.

When Wonwoo regains his composture, he gazes back at Mingyu, the ghost of a smile still on his lips. "I'm not a vampire. Quite the opposite, actually."

Mingyu brain finally clicks into place, and the realization slaps him in the face. "Aw man, it was werewolf wasn't it? That was my second guess."

Wonwoo smiles, but he goes about his next words very carefully. "I'm… technically a werewolf, yes."

Mingyu grins. "So you were lying!"

"I never said I wasn't a werewolf." Wonwoo replies pointedly. "And it is technically a medical condition, depending on who classifies it."

Mingyu leans forward. "Woah, that's so cool." And also he has  _ so _ many questions. "Are all werewolves super handsome, like you?"

Wonwoo's lips quirk up at the sides. "Being handsome isn't a werewolf thing, but thanks."

Mingyu's face must be in flames from the embarrassment.

Wonwoo must notice, but much to Mingyu's relief (and disappointment?), he doesn't acknowledge it. "To be honest, I originally thought  _ you  _ were a vampire."

"What? How?" Mingyu asks 

"You're canines look like fangs."

Mingyu puts a hand up to his mouth. "Do they actually?"

Wonwoo laughs. "Relax." He brings up a hand to touch Mingyu's wrist, and bring it down to his lap. "It's cute."

As if Mingyu is  _ not _ supposed to react to  _ that _ . His first instinct is to tell Minghao  _ Wonwoo called my teeth cute! _ but also Minghao isn't there and it sounds weird when he thinks about it like that.

"You think?" Mingyu asks earnestly, although it might have come across as flirtatious. It works either way.

Wonwoo nods as if he were annoyed in a good humoured way. "Any other questions?"

"Is this house haunted?"

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really really really wanted to get this done before Halloween, but TODAY is Halloween, and I've just been super busy. I really like this fic, and I'll continue updating, but after today I'm probably gonna work more on Magic Is Most Definitely Real.  
Also HAPPY HALLOWEEN  
Thank you to everyone who commented, kudosed, and hit this fic, I'll update for you guys soon!  
(Also I cringed like ten times writing this chapter, and I've never even read twilight)

**Author's Note:**

> I know I have another fic to work on, but this isn't like, TECHNICALLY a fic because the chapters are going to be SUPER short and SUPER messy, but it's so that I can update frequently (hopefully, idk). And it's for the sake of HALLOWEENNN!!!  
If anyone wants to adapt this into a longer, more detailed and thought out fic or oneshot or something, please do (cuz I would like to read it)!!  
Aaaaanyways, I hope this was okay to read!


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